The Appliance of Science

Swansea-born Edward Bowen was the driving force behind the invention of radar for aircraft, helping the RAF defend Britain during World War Two. His work also led to the invention of the microwave oven. The turntable microwave first came on the market sixty years ago, and over 30 million are sold every year.

When Martha Hughes was born in 1857, there were no female doctors in Britain. Leaving her native Wales for Utah in the USA, she found that women were rarely admitted to college. She bucked the trend, gaining a medical degree and setting up her own clinic, and later became the first woman elected to an American state senate.

Alfred Russel Wallace’s work as a naturalist led him to devise a theory of natural selection which he shared with his colleague Charles Darwin. Darwin expanded on the theory in “On the Origin of the Species”. Today Wallace is largely overlooked, but for many in the scientific community he is at least Darwin’s equal.

This country has a proud history of nurturing scientists who change the world and deepen our understanding of it. Someone has to maintain that tradition and inspire the next generation, and Oriel Science is meeting the challenge. This Swansea University project celebrates the University’s research in engaging, interactive exhibits. What might previously have seemed inaccessible is brought within reach at Oriel Science’s city-centre base. Five years ago, Swansea University marked its centenary in unusual circumstances, with periods of lockdown denying students the face-to-face learning experience that has enriched so many lives since the doors first opened in 1920. 

Today normal service at the University has been resumed, and Oriel Science is taking it a step further by bringing education to the community. The university’s research in theoretical particle physics teaches us priceless lessons on the building blocks of nature and the laws that shape our universe. Oriel Science makes those lessons accessible, sparks a passion for learning in young people in our city and does it free of charge. 

Community engagement projects were introduced to the people of Swansea in September 2016 with a pop-up science exhibition in the city centre. Over its first hundred days, 16,000 members of the public shared in the exhibits. In the eight and a half years since then, Oriel Science has staged over 100 events and activities, engaging with over 100,000 people. The now permanent base in Castle Street is a popular venue for school trips, welcoming visitors who are often bombarded with unreliable information from multiple sources. We live in a world of subjective, unfounded opinions. We live in a world of fake news. We live in a world in which public figures can court popularity by saying “I think we’ve had enough of experts”. 

If we want the next generation of leaders to make evidence-based decisions – and we certainly should – we need to set them an example. Oriel Science does precisely that and makes it fun. Workshops delight visitors of all ages, covering topics as diverse as the combination of hydrogen and oxygen atoms to make water, the principles of designing a moving vehicle, the practice of making a model heart pump and the mechanics of the human skeleton. Children come away from these workshops excited about science, excited about learning and with a renewed belief in their own ability to pursue a STEM career. Girls and boys are having their eyes opened to what’s possible for them, and what’s possible for all of us when we seek something worth finding. 

No one was happy to see Swansea University mark its centenary in the shadow of a pandemic, but in one sense it brought the University and the city full circle. From 1918 to 1920, Spanish Flu cast an even longer shadow. Almost one third of the world’s population were infected, and an estimated 50 million people lost their lives. It's common for viruses to pose a greater threat to the very young and the very old, but this strain of flu triggered a pathological reaction in the immune systems of healthy young adults.

So after enduring the horror of a world war that pounded their generation into the mud, the youth of this country came under another cruel attack. In the Autumn of 1920, though, Swansea University offered them hope of something better. That October, the first 89 students took their places. The initial curriculum was science-based, covering mathematics, physics, chemistry, geology, engineering and metallurgy. Students of the arts didn’t have to wait long for their moment, though. The following year, English language and literature, education, the classics and French language were introduced. Mary Williams, the first professor of French studies, was also the first woman appointed as a chair at any British university. Then, as now, Swansea University broke down barriers for women in pursuit of excellence. When a coat of arms was established in 1921, the chosen motto reflected the importance of scientific achievement along with the balancing influence of the arts. “Gweddw Crefft Heb Ei Dawn” translates as “Technical skill is bereft without culture.”

Oriel Science maintains that balance admirably. It reminds us of things we need to keep believing. Truth matters. Science matters. Culture and cultural responsibility matter. And the message we send young people about the world they live in and the place they can carve out for themselves matters very much indeed. A century down the line, Swansea University keeps broadening horizons, now offering approximately 450 undergraduate courses and 280 postgraduate taught and 150 postgraduate research courses to over 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. 

Like many successful projects, Oriel Science has outgrown its origins and is entering a new phase. It’s now registered as a charity, and Thursday February 27th will see a day-long celebratory launch, offering visitors of all ages practical experiments to stimulate them and a road map for future developments. It’s managed by the same people, with the same spirit of innovation that’s already brought so much to the city. Now eligible for external funding, Oriel Science is well-placed to go further still. We haven’t had enough of experts. We need their expertise to inform and inspire us. Oriel Science reaches out to the community and gives us that gift. Lucky us.